V-A-10 



Sewell , G.H. 1971. Economic and social value of estuarine wildife, 



Appendix C, pages C-1 through C-10 i_n The economic and social importance 

 of estuaries. Estuarine Pollution Study Series No. 2. U.S. Environmental 

 Protection Agency, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 



Estuarine wildlife can be classified into four categories excluding 

 fishery resources, with differing economic and social significance for 

 the United States population. They are: (1) fur-bearing mammals, 

 (2) game waterfowl, (3) "exotic" shore birds, and (4) the common wild- 

 life that can tolerate human presence. Each category represents a 

 drastically different relationship to the human community; and within 

 the individual categories wide variations can be found in the degree 

 of dependence upon estuarine conditions. 



The sale of pelts from commercially-trapped fur-bearing mammals pro- 

 vides an indication of economic value. In the 1965-66 trapping season, 

 trappers in the coastal marshes of the Gulf and Atlantic states sold 

 approximately $5 million in fur and possibly $1 million in meat. 

 Louisiana was the primary producer with a total value of approximately 

 $4,600,000. Roughly $4 million of this is attributed to the 3.5 million 

 acres of coastal marsh. The annual value of fur production is highly 

 unstable, and the variation from one year to the next can be as great 

 as 50 percent. 



Saline waters burn marsh vegetation, especially the primary food 

 plants for fur-bearers. Therefore, minimization of saltwater intrusion 

 into fresh or brackish waters is necessary. Subsequently, the marshes 

 managed for fur production are not normally available for most typical 

 aquatic estuarine life, especially shrimp and fish that use the 

 estuaries as a nursery. 



Hurricanes and man-made intrusions upon fur-producing marshes 

 have represented the most serious threats to fur-bearing animals 

 and their habitat. Navigational construction projects, highway 

 construction, canal systems, dredging and filling, flood-control 

 works, pollution, and other encroachments of physical development 

 and urbanization are slowly removing significant areas of marsh. 



On a national scale, the harvesting of pelts from marsh animals 

 is a miniscule industry. The industry is susceptible to domestication, 

 fur farming being the primary source of mink pelts. Because of the 

 managed nature of the fur-production marshes and their weak ecological 

 relationship with the estuaries, the fur production industry does not 

 appear to be a major victim of man-made estuarine change. 



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